Two Lives in Progress, reviews by Joyce Reilly

Sunshine Girl: An Unexpected Life, by Julianna Margulies; Ballantine Books (2021), 256 pp.

Whenever I hear that a new celebrity biography is out on the shelves, I sigh. Talented as many actors are, and public figures, fascinating, the books are often short accounts of their early life and long accounts of a career gone well. Somehow the inner life—what was going on in that child’s mind, what the early days of a working actor felt like, what all the names being dropped and the prizes and accolades signify on a deeper level—are lost. So, when I heard from my local library director that she had spent a spring Sunday afternoon wrapped up in a hammock and a book, I was intrigued to hear that it was the autobiography of Julianna Margulies. I asked, tentatively—interesting? She replied—fascinating!

For those of us who are not television watchers, this surname may still seem familiar due to her parents involvement with anthroposophy: her mother, Francesca, a eurythmist and teacher for many years here in the US and abroad, and Paul, her father, a dedicated study group leader. Paul is also famous as an advertising executive who made his name for the Alka-Seltzer jingle—“Plop plop fizz fizz, oh what a relief its is!” Few Americans of a certain age are not familiar with those words!

Julianna has had a career on television, stage, and film, but is known mainly for important roles on longrunning and respected tv series, ER, and The Good Wife. She has won many awards and even made headlines when passing up another stint on ER, for millions of dollars, in order to return to her home in New York and the stage.

The book is indeed fascinating, because it is an honest, deep-going, detailed, and vibrant account of an early life leading up to a successful career and fulfilling family life. Julianna spends the majority of her words describing her early life: born in the anthroposophical community in Spring Valley, NY, taken back and forth to various spots in Great Britain and Europe connected to her mother’s career as a eurythmist and teacher, visiting her father abroad as well. Endless moves, new schools and new partners (her mother) and new jobs (her father),—the impression is a whirlwind that two older sisters escaped earlier and that Julianna endured with grace, anger, and some rebellion. Above all, it’s an honest book. The descriptions of her mother’s wild switches from one unsuitable place or lover to another, her father’s reserved support and continual changes, can be heard with a bit of a cringe. They do not come off as the most sensitive or supportive parents, despite The Study of Man and all the Waldorf exposure and soft dolls and pinecone people. Julianna mentions anthroposophy, as a part of all these moving pieces, as a serious endeavor, if a bit quirky, and definitely not a cult! In doing the round of interview shows (virtually) from Oprah to Symphony Space, the word “anthroposophy” is not often heard, but when it is, there is a respect that comes from what it seems is her understanding of her parents love for the work of Rudolf Steiner, a guiding light in their lives.

And this is what makes this autobiography so unique and so moving. Julianna Margulies describes a childhood and adolescence that one would not wish for—lack of stability, having to parent the parents, inappropriately mature expectations, and continual challenging events. Yet Julianna speaks of her parents today in the most loving terms. Her father Paul was surprised by her anger towards him when she began to be independent, and, after some clarification, wrote her the most heartfelt letter of apology for his own missteps and lack of understanding. When Paul crossed the threshold (she didn’t use this term) in 2014, she wrote a beautiful letter of tribute and grief which was publically shared. One can feel for Francesca, hearing the extremely open and candid way that Julianna describes the boyfriends, abrupt moves, inadequate housing, etc. Yet her mother’s reaction to knowing that this book was coming about was, “Go for it!” In the acknowledgements, Julianna paints the picture of sitting on a porch, sipping iced tea with Francesca and laughing over the manuscript, together.

The most important point of this story seems to me to be what Julianna expresses directly: things were tough, not ideal, too fast, sometimes confusing, but she was not abused. The chaos was not abuse—what an extraordinary distinction to be able to make. She always was loved, and knew she was loved, for herself in all her beautiful manifestations. This is the finest tribute to a childhood one can hope for: that the journey was filled with love. The book is dedicated to “My parents, Francesca & Paul Margulies.”

Gardens of Karma: Harvesting Myself Among the Weeds, by Susan West Kurz; White River Press (2021), 296 pp.

By happy coincidence, another autobiography has appeared “on the shelves” by Susan West Kurz, whom many of you may know as the person who introduced the Dr. Hauschka line of skin care products to the United States in such a way that they have become quite well known. Previously concentrated in health and whole food shops, it is now distributed through high-end retailers, specialized cosmetic shops like Sephora, and now the internet. The Dr. Hauschka line also inspired estheticians to be trained in the special skin treatments developed by Elizabeth Sigmund and used in clinics and salons in Europe. Elizabeth Sigmund and Dr. Rudolf Hauschka were deeply connected to the work of Rudolf Steiner, and the inspiration for one of the most highly prized cosmetic lines in the world came from their understanding of the human skin as an organ, and their knowledge and respect for the healing properties of the plant world.

Susan begins her tale with a visit to a writers’ workshop that leads her to express her love for Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, and then to tell us about her ideal vacation in Sicily in an area that is known as the womb of Demeter. After a lovely walk through fragrant gardens and appreciation for the sights and smells of the land that is so uniquely captivating in Italy, we are transported back to her childhood, and how the gardens of her aunt and uncle comforted, intrigued, and inspired her from an early age. Woven into the story of her life, from Rhode Island to New York City and back to New England, are encounters with the gardens of friends and relatives, and the deep holding of one’s being that can occur when there is a connection to the land.

After a somewhat painful childhood with a deeply quiet father and a mother with extreme mood swings, and after a usual elementary school and high school experience, Susan’s college years brought her into new social circles. Moving off campus led to a truly karmic meeting, involving a garden, with the actor James T. Walsh. Known then as Jim, and later professionally as J.T. Walsh, Jim introduces Susan first to anthroposophic medicine administered by a Dr. Laskey, then to Heinz of the Meadowbrook Gardens. Jim was also studying anthroposophy, and Susan, by now living with him and expecting a baby, was a serious and eager student of Dr. Steiner.

What follows is an account of a challenging, inspiring, tumultuous life with Jim and baby John, moving from Rhode Island to New York City, becoming more interested in the Dr. Hauschka line and its potential to be unique and highly-valued in the skin care world. Susan took on training as an esthetician, setting up a salon, and eventually moving away from Jim as he became JT, a well-known presence both on stage and notably on various screens. (Jim’s alcoholism was a factor in so much of the tumult, and it was at the beginning of an attempt to get a healthier and freer life that he died at the age of 55 in 1998.)

Truly on her own, Susan’s business talent became apparent, and with her meeting a biodynamic farmer at a convention, the Hauschka line was born. Susan West and Clifford Kurz became a team in work and in life and were able to make Hauschka a well-known, profitable business. Susan’s account of finding her voice at business meetings and her feet on the ground with yet more gardens and Clifford, gives a special slant to the usual American success story. Susan and Clifford went on to be parents of two adopted children; though we do not get details of their growing lives nor that of John, we may surmise that, while the challenges do not stop, all sounds quite positive now.

This book leaves me asking for more. Who was Dr. Laskey? Also Heinz of Meadowbrook Gardens—there must be an interesting story there. How did they all met in the small state of Rhode Island! And the salons and studios that Susan and friends established in New York and around the country, do they continue to serve the serious as well as the celebrated? And where can I have a Hauschka facial? The descriptions of the products, the fields of flowers and herbs that create them, make me both curious and envious of those who were there to experience all of this.

There is a connection between these books. When Susan West Kurz was creating the Dr. Hauschka business and needed advice on advertising, Paul Margulies was her trusted advisor! Working with Paul, Susan was able to develop the confidence to trust her own understanding, and to own her voice. That voice was there already, waiting to be heard loud and clear. These autobiographies of two women with significant relationships to anthroposophy and celebrity make refreshing and compelling reading. Any season is a fine time to meet The Sunshine Girl and The Gardens of Karma.

Joyce Reilly (joycereilly@aol.com) found the Camphill movement in early adulthood, worked closely with Georg Kühlewind and supported his work in the USA, and has served on the council of Anthroposophy NYC and as president of the Janusz Korczak Association of the USA.